Angeles Analysis – Comeback Mentality

For the first time in franchise history, the LA Kings overturned two-goal deficits on consecutive nights to come back and win.

It was something on night one, in an early 2-0 hole in Vegas that might’ve sunk the Kings over the last couple of seasons. On this weekend, however, it didn’t. Down 3-1 on the road in Arizona, as frustration began to set in on the second half of a back-to-back, last night’s game might’ve wound up as a “dominate the puck but don’t score the goals” kind of loss over the last couple of seasons. On this weekend, however, it didn’t.

Talking to Todd McLellan after the second of the two victories, he was asked whether or not he learned anything about his team over this stretch. When you do something that has never been done before in franchise history, you’d think that might be the case. But, for McLellan, it wasn’t anything he learned. Because he already knew it.

“A good answer would be yes, we’re learning, but the truth is no, because I believe that’s been in the locker room for a long, long time,” McLellan said yesterday. “We have a few more horses that can score and create opportunities, but when they weren’t here, the team believed they could do it, it just didn’t get done.”

On this team, attitude has bever been questioned. Comeback mentality has never been questioned. As McLellan has said in the past, those traits have been in his team’s DNA since the Stanley Cup years, and even when the “horses” weren’t quite there over the past few seasons, it wasn’t due to a lack of a comeback mentality that the Kings weren’t able to succeed more in those kinds of situations.

Now, the horses are here. The Kings have four lines capable of scoring on any given night, three defensive pairings that are trusted throughout the game and two goaltenders capable of winning games, and stealing them when needed. Too frequently last season, if Kopitar’s line wasn’t going, or Doughty didn’t have a big night, the Kings weren’t going. Now, it could be any one of the four lines that makes the difference on any given night.

The third line got a goal against the Golden Knights, and a big one too, providing momentum before the first intermission. The top line got four goals from Adrian Kempe, while the second line provided the game-tying goal in both games, helping to pave the way for the eventual victory. The fourth line being quiet offensively feels rare these days, but it didn’t need to score this weekend to get a win and that’s kind of the point.

Oh, and did I mention Drew Doughty? Because two goals and two assists over the four games puts him at just shy of a point-per-game pace this season, with some of the best puck-possession metrics of his NHL career. Were it not for the games missed, Doughty would be firmly in the mix for postseason hardware, as he ranked this amongst the best seasons of his career to date. Maybe he should be anyways.

“I feel like it’s got to be up there,” Doughty said. “The points are going in, but my defending is really good like it always is. I’m playing against either the first or second line, every single night, m and Mikey, I think, have done a great job. It’s one of my best seasons I’ve ever played for sure, but it’s hard to compare to others with different teams.”

We’re more than 500 words in and we haven’t even discussed a power play that has three goals from three games played since returning from All-Star break, or a penalty kill that has come out with a noticeably aggressive mindset, allowing just one goal from those three games…..and it was a goal that came off of a bad-luck bounce, not a defensive breakdown.

When analyzing the first half of the season, the Kings were among the best in the NHL when looking exclusively at 5-on-5 metrics. The focal points for the second half were always the same – special teams.

Three games is not a long enough stretch to say that everything is fixed, or that the Kings will score a goal a game the rest of the way out on the power play. But, at the same time, they don’t have to. Showing gradual improvements on both special teams, combined with maintaining the same level of play at even strength is a formula for success, because with that in place, the Kings have the horses to turn that positive play into results and points in the standings.

And, in an extremely competitive race for playoff berths in both the Pacific Division and the Western Conference Wild Card, getting those points will be key. That’s looking ahead though. The Kings are and remain a team that doesn’t want to look too far ahead, because every two points are important. McLellan has said he’ll never say something along the lines of “if we win seven of our next ten” we’re in a good……whatever you want to call it. As cliché as it sounds, whatever they’re doing right now is good with me.

After a well-deserved off day today for the team, the Kings have short trips to Arizona and Anaheim on the cards, as they continue to push towards the postseason. The Western Conference currently has five teams between a .583 winning percentage and a.602 winning percentage, with only four spots available for those teams. That’s not to mention the Ducks or Jets, just a couple of games back themselves.

Exciting times, Insiders, exciting times!

I’m off to Ontario a bit later to catch Brett Sutter’s 1,000th professional game ceremony, an incredible accomplishment for a player who has meant more to the Kings organization than you might think, outwardly. Less so to work, more so to experience a special moment for a great person and player. Post-game coverage to follow here on LAKI from Reign contributor Jared Shafran as the Reign continue their own push for the top seed, and a first-round bye, in the Pacific Division.